Some Americans Have New Anxiety Traveling Abroad

An article published last week suggested some Americans are now anxious about traveling abroad given talk of tariffs and strained relationships with foreign countries. 

If you are considering booking travel LiveAndLetsFly.com appreciates your support.

If you haven’t followed us on Facebook or Instagram, add us today.

Article: “Will They Hate Us?”

The question posed by the DNYUZ headline—“Will They Hate Us?”—isn’t just clickbait. It’s reflective of a genuine anxiety sweeping across a segment of American travelers in 2025. With President Trump entering his second term and global protests igniting over U.S. foreign policy shifts, many Americans are asking themselves whether they’ll still be welcomed abroad.

But let’s be clear: while the geopolitical climate has shifted, the solution isn’t to trade your American identity for a faux accent or a second passport. Here’s why.

Geopolitical Climate

Yes, the world is watching America closely, and not all of it with admiration. Even friends to the United States since its inception, like France, have leadership uncertain of what’s next.

The article states “President Trump has set off panic in Europe about the potential collapse of alliances… and prompted protests in Istanbul and Panama over the possibility of U.S. territorial expansion.” These headlines—and the international reactions to them—are fueling American travelers’ concerns.

According to a survey by Global Rescue cited in the article, 72% of “experienced” U.S. travelers believe Americans will be less welcome abroad this year. That’s not a baseless fear; it’s a measured response to real-world events. Yet, it’s critical to separate political optics from personal interactions.

The average traveler you meet at a wine tasting in Tuscany or a street market in Oaxaca doesn’t want to debate Article 5 of NATO. They want to connect, talk, and share an experience. Americans are still warmly welcomed when they lead with kindness, not politics.

There’s also a distance between the choices of leadership and everyday traveling Americans.

Pretending To Not Be American

Here’s where the article takes a turn into a different kind of drama.

One traveler, Franck Verhaeghe, “decided that on this trip [to Mexico], we would all just speak French to each other” to avoid being pegged as American. Another traveler “pays in Canadian dollars” when visiting Canada to fly under the radar. Others are proactively warning their Airbnb hosts of their nationality “to make sure our presence would not cause a small business to feel uncomfortable.”

These stories are theatrical—but ultimately unnecessary. It’s not a new position to take either; some Americans have traveled with Canadian flags on their backpacks and luggage for decades to avoid conflict based on US foreign policy.

Travelers have always worried about how they’re perceived abroad. What’s new is this level of performance art, from code-switching languages to traveling under second passports. While it may come from a good place—anxiety, respect, a desire to blend in—it also feeds the very narrative we’re trying to avoid: that Americans are somehow inherently offensive or unwelcome.

Instead of pretending to be something you’re not, be what good travel always demands—aware, respectful, and humble. Speak softly, learn a few local phrases, listen more than you talk. You don’t need a fake identity to be a good guest.

Not Cancelling Trips

Despite the political climate, most travelers are staying the course. As the article points out, “The nervousness does not seem to have translated into widespread cancellations,” even though forums are full of Americans asking variations of: “Will they hate us?”

That tension—between anxiety and action—is where the real travel story lives. People are still booking. Still flying. Still wandering through Berlin, drinking wine in the Loire Valley, and ziplining in Mexico.

Even the travelers interviewed in the piece, who expressed deep concern, aren’t pulling the plug just yet. As Christine Bauer, planning a trip to France, says: “We’re hoping that travel doesn’t become more unsafe.”

Spoiler alert: it hasn’t.

Travel professionals quoted in the article—like Jack Ezon of Embark Beyond—note that while some trips have been canceled due to politics or economic uncertainty, most are still happening. This moment is more about emotional recalibration than operational disruption. Travel is still one of the most humanizing things we can do, and now is not the time to turn inward.

From our own agency, we haven’t seen any let up (though a recession would change that) from American customers and from those traveling from abroad, just one Canadian client has cancelled on the basis of not buying American products, in this case, a cruise.

Conclusion

Let’s not sugarcoat it: there are real concerns about how American foreign policy is perceived abroad. But the answer isn’t to shed your American identity at customs. Instead, be the kind of traveler that changes perceptions. Use your passport—not to hide, but to bridge. Yes, be aware. Yes, be respectful. But don’t pretend.

This is a moment to be a traveler, not a chameleon. The world doesn’t need more Americans pretending to be Canadian or French—it needs more Americans who travel with humility, curiosity, and grace. And besides—how many Americans can convincingly pull off a French accent?

What do you think?